Oh the infamous 'what I got for Christmas' posts. Some love them, some hate them. I'm firmly in the love camp, there's nothing nicer than seeing people so happy and excited with their gifts, and I often get ideas for gifts to purchase for my own loved ones. With that said, I'll crack on and maybe give you some inspo, too.

Stationery

ET notebook

I found Reconsidered Retro by searching 'ET' on Etsy. After rifling through lots of very quirky products, including a king size duvet cover adorned with ET's face, I spotted her stuff and fell in love. There are cards, necklaces, notebooks, and even her very own colouring book, all with an 80s theme- think Return to Oz, Hook, and Footloose. I bought my sister some bits and told my boyfriend I wanted to keep them for myself, so he surprised me with an ET notebook of my very own. He's a good egg.

Busy B diary and pens

Last year I wrote about how I make the most of my diary, and it really is like a second brain to me, so of course I had to ask for a new one for Christmas, and my sister kindly obliged. I love that Busy B is an independent company that offers a range of beautiful stationery, but I wish I'd looked closer at the diary before ordering as it doesn't offer as much free space as I would like.

The diary came with two of the snazziest pencils I've ever seen, and she also bought me some Busy B rollerball pens that write like a dream. Stationery lovers, you know what I mean.

Stabilo pastel highlighters

I'm pretty sure I'd have revised a lot harder at school if I'd had these to hand! They're so pretty and I immediately feel motivated and organised just looking at them.

Crafting with cat hair

I'd seen this on Facebook and thought it was a meme, but no, there really is a guide on making numerous projects with your furry friend's shedding. My cat is essentially a walking wig, and deposits handfuls of hair every time we brush her, so watch this space- you may see cat hair creations popping up in my Etsy shop.

Beauty

NYX Machinist 'Grind' palette

I promised myself I didn't need any more makeup, but this unusual Steampunk palette just called to me! I tend to do my makeup in the car (passenger seat only of course) and this offers the perfect selection of shimmers, bold mattes, and neutral essentials to create a range of full looks.

Seche Vite

Hands down the best nail product I have ever tried. It really does perform like a gel without needing curing or soaking off. My boyfriend gave me the original and Seche Vive, which is apparently even more gel-like.

Patisserie de Bain Rhubarb and Custard hand cream

My hands look alarmingly like Voldemort's, only drier, so hand creams are always a good gift for me and this one really does smell good enough to eat.

'Dirty' Toothy Tabs

If you haven't heard of LUSH toothy tabs, allow me to introduce you. You simple chew one up then brush your teeth as normal, but in my experience they clean the whole mouth far better than any regular toothpaste. The flavours do take some getting used to, and they don't contain fluoride to protect your teeth, but they do polish your gnashers perfectly.

Hair

Babyliss Multi Styler

With 8 options to straighten, curl, and even crimp, I no longer have an excuse to let my barnet run frizzy and free. I've already tried the curling barrel and found that it's too slim and short to curl my long hair quickly, but having all the attachments in one box is much easier to store than 8 separate stylers.

GHD hairbrush

After watching Brad Mondo's video on how to get a salon blowdry at home, I set about hunting for a good ceramic hairbrush with synthetic bristles, and my poor boyfriend must have gotten bored of me droning on about it, so bought me this GHD one! It's so fancy, it even comes in its own special storage box.

Food

Would it be Christmas without chocolate? My family know my sweet tooth well and gifted me boxes and bars, coins and oranges of the good stuff, which I'm planning to hide from myself to enjoy slowly rather than inhaling. I also received something I'd never had or even heard of before: The Vegan Kind chocolate box. This was the present that totally took me by surprise. Last year I really made an effort to eat vegan where I could, but because I live with my family and they prefer to run the kitchen, it kind of slipped away. It's still something I see for my future, and my boyfriend helped me out by gifting me this box, with a selection of cruelty and dairy free sweet treats. I will definitely be sharing more details in a full review post.

Random

Wobbling Wallace

I wonder how many other 23 year old women unwrapped one of these bad lads and shrieked with delight? I love Wallace (not so much Gromit) so the idea of him merrily wobbling away in my car just fills me with joy.

Chameleon Mug

When my sister asked my favourite animal (orangutans, crocodiles, chameleons, FYI) I didn't think much of it, but it made sense when I opened this! Very impractical for drinking out of, but perfect for storing pens and craft supplies.

What was the weirdest gift you received this Christmas?

Christmas already feels like months ago, and I'm not happy about it. Our Christmas was a funny mixture of sadness from the loss of a loved one, and determination to celebrate all the more in her memory. While the food has been eaten and the decorations have been packed away, the presents I was lucky enough to receive have now joined my dressing table, and I love that I will think of the wonderful people who gave them to me when I use them.

Most of the presents I received were surprises, but I did know about the Superdrug Vitamin E hydrating mist*, the Superdrug shower gel set, and the NYX ultimate brights palette. Inspired by the queen of colour, The Lippie Lady, I'd dropped not-so-subtle hints for months, and my boyfriend heard them loud and clear!

The other eyeshadow palette is the Makeup Revolution New-trals VS Neutrals palette which Kiah gave me as part of the CarnLIVal secret Santa. My jaw dropped when I laid eyes on this beauty, and I couldn't resist trying those beautiful metallics right away. I'm really looking forward to playing with that red next. I wrote a full review and showed two looks with this palette here.

Despite not being a lover of Stila's Stay All Day formula, I couldn't resist asking for this duo of Beso and Bella. I love a bright pink lip, and they don't come brighter than this! See swatches in this post.

I was chuffed to unwrap some goodies from Oh! K, as they're a brand I've admired from afar. Both the sheet masks are brightening and hydrating, which sounds perfect for my scaly skin, and they contain Korean ingredients that promise to nourish and soothe. Between the mini mani set here and the Cath Kidston hand set my 'in laws' gave me, I've no excuse not to have the most handsome hands in Britain.

I saw Amy Farquhar wearing Milani Conceal + Perfect, so I bought Milani Conceal + Perfect. Or rather, asked my boyfriend for it instead! Expect a full review soon, but for now, know that Porcelain 00A is a great shade if you're on team ghost, like me.

The lipsticks are also from Kiah, and since the gift swap was random, she'd done really well to choose colours that most people would wear and love. The darker shade, Reckless, makes for a really pretty lip stain, and the pink, Whispers, is a lovely every day shade that applies very comfortably.

My sister bought me a lipstick refill in a perfect rosy nude shade, along with a vintage inspired cat print tube, both from Paul and Joe. I've often browsed their products on ASOS but never treated myself, and I'm so glad she did. It feels so fancy and special, I almost don't want to wear it!

She says she's not a fan of blogging, but I think my sister may be hiding something, because she gifted me the most blog worthy perfume- cactus scented perfume by the brand Illume! It makes for a very fresh, woody scent, and I love the rollerball format and beautiful packaging.